Nilinaw ni Gelli de Belen ang kanyang panig kaugnay ng naging kontrobersiyal niyang pahayag tungkol sa isyu nina Patrick Garcia at Jennylyn Mercado.
Sa YouTube podcast na Wala Pa Kaming Title noong Linggo, October 11, 2026, nagsalita si Gelli para ipagtanggol ang sarili laban sa kaliwa't kanang batikos na natanggap niya dahil sa umano'y pagsawsaw niya sa isyu.
Kasama ni Gelli sa podcast ang mga kaibigan niyang sina Janice de Belen, Carmina Villaroel, at Candy Pangilinan.
Dito, iginiit ni Gelli na ang kapakanan ng mga batang sangkot ang pangunahing dahilan ng kanyang naging reaksiyon.
Pahayag niya: "Nag-guest ako sa Chica Cart to promote Mantsa, which is showing right now.
"So ang premise ng interview that day was: pag-open ng show, nasa panel ang mga bisita, which was me at that time.
"So ang ginawa nila, in-introduce nila ako. Meron silang issue na ipinakita. Pagbalik sa panel, magre-react."
Paglilinaw niya, nakabatay ang sagot niya sa kanyang nakita sa video at sa reaksiyon ng mga netizen tungkol dito.
Saad ni Gelli: "It was about an interview, the sensational, famous interview, and how the netizens were reacting to this video and everybody. Reaction ng lahat ng tao.
"So ang tanong sa akin, 'Ano ang masasabi mo sa nangyayari?'
"Hindi ako tinanong ng mga specific questions about whoever is involved and why it happened, mga ganyan.
"Basta yung video was actually really about kung ano yung nakita ko at kung ano yung reaction ng mga tao doon sa interview at video."
Maaaring ang tinutukoy ni Gelli ay ang ipinanood sa kanyang VTR (video tape recorder) sa Chica Cart kung saan sinabi na, "mainit nang pinagchi-chikahan ang isyu sa social media ng mga ordinaryong netizens at maging mga celebrities."
Ayon kay Gelli, ang kanyang komento ay nakatuon sa matinding reaksiyon ng publiko at sa posibleng epekto ng kontrobersiya sa mga batang may kaparehong sitwasyon.
"So siyempre, ang konteksto ko nito, e, yung reaction ng mga tao na talagang very violent and all that.
"So natural, may mga batang involved. Ang una kong pinuntahan ay kung paano natin ma-save yung mga bata sa ganitong klaseng pangyayari," pahayag niya.
Read: Dennis reacts to Gelli's comments on Patrick-Jennylyn issue
Nilinaw din ng aktres na hindi lamang ang mga anak ng isang panig ang kanyang tinutukoy, kundi ang mga batang maaaring maapektuhan sa magkabilang pamilya.
Aniya: "That's why I said, mga bata, sa parehong pamilya. Anybody in general. Basta't yung mga batang involved.
"Mind you, hindi naman po talaga ako kasali doon sa issue. Nagkataon lang na may pino-promote ako at iyon ang issue. Sinagot ko po.
"At ang pinaka-focus ko lang talaga doon is the children."
Bilang isang ina, nilagay lang daw ng aktres ang kaniyang sarili sa sitwasyon.
Dagdag pa rito, pinanindigan ni Gelli na wala siyang kinakampihan sa isyu at wala siyang masamang intensiyon sa alinman sa mga taong sangkot.
Saad niya: "Bilang ina and bilang someone who has seen the effects of this.
"Bilang someone close to many, many, many people who have gone and are still going through this.
"Sabihin na natin, mention na natin na single parents, parents who are separated, lahat yan. Nakita ko yan, e.
"Nakita ko yan firsthand kung anong epekto niyan sa mga bata. Kaya doon ako kaagad pumunta.
"Wala po akong kinakampihan or kinampihan even on that very day at that very time.
"And even at this point in time, feeling ko naman wala namang masama na maging concerned tayo sa magiging effect nito sa mga bata.
"Ayun ang pinaka-goal ko lang. I do not have ill will towards anybody.
"I know I meant well. Pero yun lang, yun lang ang focus ko."
GELLI'S FRIENDS DEFEND HER
Samantala, nakatanggap naman ng suporta si Gelli sa kanyang mga kaibigang sina Candy, Carmina, at Janice.
Ayon kay Candy, naging saksi si Gelli sa kasong may kaugnayan sa Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) na kanyang kinaharap noon.
Kaya naman para sa kanya, maaaring nagmula sa mga karanasang ito ang pananaw ni Gelli tungkol sa mga batang apektado ng mga problema sa pamilya.
Ani Candy: "I think Gelli was coming from...Si Gelli is a witness sa VAWC ko.
"I got justice naman kasi humingi ako ng support, so si Gelli is one of the witnesses.
"So yung time na yon, talagang walang-wala ako kaya nag-file ako ng VACW, and Gelli is one of my witnesses.
"Kaya, I think she's coming from that. Kaya alam mong nag-move forward ako. Sinet aside ko kung anuman yung ill feelings and nag-focus ako doon sa bata kaya ayun ang nangyari.
"I think doon siya nanggagaling."
Read: Candy Pangilinan weighs in on Patrick-Jennylyn issue
Maging sina Carmin at Janice at nagpahayag din ng pagsuporta kay Gelli.
Hiling ni Carmina, "Sana matapos na 'to and let's just all move on."
Dagdag naman ni Janice: "Gusto ko lang naman masabi ni Gelli yung side niya. Maipaliwanag niya yung sagot niya.
"Kasi if I were there, I probably would have the same concern.
"The grownups can take care of themselves, but the children are a different story."
Dennis Trillo reacts to Gelli's comments
Naging kontrobersiyal ang naging komento ni Gelli sa Chika Cart matapos siyang punahin ng asawa ni Jennylyn na si Dennis Trillo.
Noong October 2, nang maging panauhin sa Chika Cart si Gelli, kung saan siya hiningan ng opinyon tungkol sa mainit na pinag-uusapang isyu nina Patrick at Jennylyn.
Inilabas sa Instagram page ng Chika Cart ang bahagi ng pahayag ni Gelli.
Ayon sa actress-TV host: “Hindi kailangang maging ganito kalaki kasi the reason why this was brought up was because nasasaktan yung anak ni Patrick…
“Sana wag nating kalimutan na may mga batang pinag-uusap at yun naman sila talaga ang pinakaimportante dahil yung mga magulang, mga nakatatanda, nakapag-move on na sila sa mga buhay nila.
"So sana let’s show the young ones what is right, what should be done, and not show them all this bad stuff.”
Ang tinutukoy ni Gelli na "anak ni Patrick" ay si Michelle Garcia, 13, na panganay nila ng asawang si Nikka Garcia.
Sa kontrobersiyal na panayam ni Patrick sa YouTube vlog ni Ogie Diaz noong September 29, sinabi ng aktor na ang matinding pamba-bash na natatanggap ng anak mula sa netizens ang dahilan kaya nagdesisyon siyang sabihin ang kanyang kuwento sa masalimuot na paghihiwalay nila ng dating karelasyong si Jennylyn.
Inuungkat umano ng bashers ang nakaraan nina Patrick at Jennylyn, kahit wala namang kinalaman si Michelle dahil hindi pa ito ipinapanganak noon.
Naging magkasintahan sina Patrick at Jennylyn noong 2007, ngunit naghiwalay sila noong February 2008 habang nagdadalantao ang aktres sa kanilang anak.
Isinilang ni Jennylyn ang anak nila ni Patrick na si Alex Jazz noong August 2008.
Dagdag pa ni Gelli sa Chika Cart: "I cannot say for a fact na I would say, think that it was necessary or not, kasi hindi ko naman alam ang pinagdadaanan ni Patrick. Hindi ko naman alam ang pinagdadaanan ng anak niya.
"If that were me, [I'd] probably deal with it differently, or maybe, still agree to an interview, pero be more... I don't know.
"Di ko alam ang gagawin ko, e, kasi wala ako sa posisyon niya, mahirap.
"Ama siya, e, hindi mo mukukuwestiyon kung ano ang pagmamahal ng magulang.
"So, kung ano man ang ginawa man niya sa pangalan ng pagtatanggol sa kanyang anak, mahirap din namang i-judge."
Nakarating kay Dennis ang pahayag na ito ni Gelli.
Noong October 3, nagkomento siya sa Instagram post ng Chika Cart tungkol sa reaksiyon ni Gelli sa programa.
Naka-tag si Gelli sa komento ni Dennis.
Saad ng aktor (published as is): “@gellidebelen nananahimik kami… lahat yan ay natural na reaksyon ng matinong TAO!
"Pasalamat kayo, dinaan ko na lang sa ganyan.
"Oo kawawa talaga ang mga bata, may mga anak din kami! Sisihin mo yung nagsimula ng gulo!”
Dinelete ni Dennis ang comment niya kay Gelli.
Si Dennis ang tumatayong ama ni Jazz, bukod sa sarili nilang anak ni Jennylyn na si Dylan.
May isa pang anak si Dennis, si Calix, mula sa dating karelasyong si Carlene Aguilar.
Bukod kay Gelli, kinastigo rin ni Dennis ang programang Chika Cart.
Makahulugang mensahe ni Dennis: “Ako lang ba o parang may kinakampihan ang mga magagaling na ito? Congrats sa new show sa GTV!!! Bagay na bagay kayo jan.”
Nilagyan pa niya ito ng poop emojis.
Dagdag pa niya, "Agree lang ng agree ang mga #8080.”
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